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The Ultimate Guide to Hangover Pills

Hangover pills should ideally have fat-soluble, premium ingredients that the brain can then absorb to target these symptoms. If it has those things, you’re very likely to wake up the next morning feeling great and hangover free. But, historically, hangover pills haven’t always been designed that way.

The hangover pill section of Amazon has exploded in the last few years and for good reason. Hangover pills have become a staple for party-goers around the country. As a physician, I want to educate the general public about what hangover pills are and why taking them beforehand is essential for avoiding hangover symptoms. In order to do that, it’s important to understand what a hangover actually is. You can read about the anatomy of a hangover on our blog, but the basic causes of a hangover are:

Glutamine rebound which causes some of the anxiety and loss of sleep associated with hangovers

Hangover pills should ideally have fat-soluble, premium ingredients that the brain can then absorb to target these symptoms. If it has those things, you’re very likely to wake up the next morning feeling great and hangover free. But, historically, hangover pills haven’t always been designed that way.

Hangover Pill History

To fully understand the topic of hangover pills, it’s important to go over the history of the industry. The first hangover pill that sold well was called Chaser, which was basically activated charcoal with an antacid. The charcoal would neutralize the alcohol someone was drinking, which would result in them being less hungover. But, it wasn’t really an effective hangover cure because it was only neutralizing the alcohol, not addressing hangover symptoms. And if you are only neutralizing the alcohol you are drinking, why drink the alcohol in the first place?

After Chaser came a few other companies like Hangover Joe’s, Forgiven, and NoHo. These companies had better formulas, which mainly consisted of a combination of B vitamins, taurine, and a few other ingredients. They were somewhat effective, but they didn’t taste great so all of them ended up going out of business after a while.

We are now on the 3rd generation of hangover products – Drinkade (formerly Never Too Hungover), Resqwater, Drinkwel, and Flyby. Drinkade and Resqwater are beverages and have better formulas, though they are water-soluble, which limits their penetration into the brain. Drinkwel and Flyby are somewhat better in that they do have substances that will get into the brain, but none of their products have premium ingredients.

Our hangover pill formula is taking the hangover pill movement to the next level. It includes high-quality ingredients, a number of which are trademarked and premium, and it is designed to enter the brain to target your hangover before it starts. It includes natural anti-inflammatories, along with a number of powerful antioxidants. Our product can be taken a number of different ways, but it’s recommended that it be taken the night before for best results.

How to Take Hangover Pills

What’s the best way to take a hangover pill? Some people take hangover products the next morning as a hangover cure, others take them preventatively. Both have seen positive effects. However, from a medical and scientific perspective, the best way to use hangover pills is as a prevention product.

The best way to take them is to take them 20 minutes before you start drinking alcohol. If you forget, at least try to take them before you go to sleep, as much of the havoc occurs in your body while you sleep after a big night of drinking. If you are going to use them as true hangover cure the next morning, take them as soon as you wake up, as some hangovers evolve during the course of the day, especially in people over 40 years of age.

It’s also recommended that you take a somewhat equal amount of hangover pills as drinks. The recommended dose of NLP is 3 capsules, which has about 2 grams of active ingredients. Every person is put together a little differently, but I find that one dose of NLP will deal with about 5 or 6 drinks. Drinkade and Resqwater recommend taking one dose of their product every 2 or 3 drinks. But, if you’re in Las Vegas, one dose of any hangover product is not going to deal with a heavy night of drinking. Definitely take another dose during the course of the night or before you go to bed.

I hope these tips help you out when you are looking for the right product to prevent your hangover. As a physician, I feel it is much healthier to prevent a medical problem than to try to cure it after the fact. Happy drinking, and come by our office if you are ever in Las Vegas!

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About Dr. Jason Burke

Dr. Jason Burke is the founder of Hangover Heaven and the world's foremost Hangover Doctor! Dr. Burke had the idea for Hangover Heaven after recognizing that certain IV treatments administered in the recovery room could also be used to treat hangovers. When he's not four wheeling in his Jeep or hiking with his kids, he's educating others about hangover cures. Read more about Dr. Jason Burke.